


Trick or Trick

by disapparater



Series: Halloweens [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2013-10-27
Packaged: 2017-12-30 15:10:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1020172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disapparater/pseuds/disapparater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pansy has some tricks up her sleeve to get Draco's attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trick or Trick

**Author's Note:**

> Full title: Trick or ~~Treat~~ Trick
> 
> Written for [day five](http://hd-writers.livejournal.com/257037.html) of hd_writers' [Tricks for Treats](http://hd-writers.livejournal.com/253604.html) using all three prompts.

As she looked around the table, Pansy smiled to herself. It was all going to plan.

She had arranged the seating carefully. Carefully enough that it looked like she had paid mind to make sure people were sat sensibly—opposite their significant other. At one end, Weasley opposite Granger; in the middle, Draco opposite Harry; at the end, herself opposite Brad, or Chad... she wasn't quite sure. She'd picked him up at The Leaky last week and had only invited him to even up the numbers.

The tall red candles across the table gave the perfect touch of horror to her Halloween dinner party. The over-large candlestick holder in the centre of the table was there solely to make it impossible for Draco and Harry to hold any kind of conversation.

Pansy resented Draco, really. He'd practically pleaded with her to host a Halloween event for as small a number of people as possible, because Harry didn't really enjoy big parties year after year. And really, it had been two years since Harry had _been_ to a big Halloween party. Last year he and Draco had stayed in (and shagged, no doubt). The year before was an average-sized party, which Harry had avoided the entirety of by hiding in the fucking attic. As far as Pansy was concerned, he was due to be doing her the favour of attending a big party, rather than this crappy favour Pansy was doing for Draco. The barn incident excuse had expired now; Pansy didn't even care about that any more.

And so, feeling forced to host this charade of a Halloween party, Pansy had decided to get something for herself out of it.

With conversation between Draco and Harry cut off, and Weasley on Draco's other side, Pansy had exclusive rights on Draco for the duration of dinner. Or, exclusive rights on Draco's conversation, at least. They talked like they hadn't done for months, catching up on gossip and bitching about celebrities, friends and family.

What Pansy did not have was Draco's full attention. She didn't really want to notice the amount of times Draco's eyes flitted across the table. She didn't want to see the furtive smiles passed between Draco and Harry. She didn't want to imagine what messages passed between them at the flutter of Harry's eyelashes. What Pansy wanted to do was vomit. She resisted, but if she hadn't have had a more devious plan for the evening, she had no doubt she wouldn't have.

Harry seemed to spend half the evening talking to Granger and half of it talking to Brad/Chad. Pansy figured Harry knew more about him at this point than Pansy did—she might have to ask Harry about him, later.

By the time the main courses had been eaten and had had time to settle, Pansy was eagerly awaiting the second half of the evening. A good time after pudding would usually have been served, Pansy delighted in letting her guests in on her little surprise.

“Pudding will not be served, I'm afraid.” Pansy was satisfied with the way Weasley seemed to wilt at those words. She'd been told he'd saved up a lot of 'points' for tonight, whatever the hell that meant. “With Halloween being the occasion for which we have gathered, I thought it would be fun to make dessert a bit of a treat-or-treat situation. I have decked out the garden with an array of Halloween decorations, including a few tricks and scares. If you venture through those horrors far enough then you should find your treats. It's an adaptation on an Easter egg hunt, basically, but designed to scare the shit out of adults. Enjoy!”

She hadn't worked on her introduction spiel at all, really; far too keen to just see them get the hell out there. As she stood there speaking, she realised this spiel was vital to selling the idea and getting them the hell out there. She crossed her fingers behind her back, but it seemed she hadn't needed to. Smiles were already crossing the faces of her dinner guests; Granger in particular looked menacing, as though this was a challenge or a race to be won.

Pansy showed them out to the garden, which was lit dimly with candles hidden in pumpkins, in order to make the tricks more frightening and the treats even more impossible to find. The effort she was willing to go to to get Draco's attention was embarrassing, really.

When they had all set off on their Halloween adventure, Pansy turned back inside and, as expected, found Draco waiting. He was leaning against the wall a few steps behind her, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised expectantly.

“Want to tell me what you're playing at?” Draco asked.

“I'm sure I have no idea what you mean.”

“You would not go to such elaborate lengths simply to entertain other people unless you had an ulterior motive. Either what you told them this—” Draco motioned to the garden “—is was utter bollocks, or you did it for selfish reasons as yet unknown.” He paused as he studied Pansy. “It's both, isn't it?”

Pansy beamed. “I'm so glad you still know me so well, Draco!” She grasped his arm and pulled him into the living room.

“What do you mean? Of course I know you well enough; you're my best friend.”

Once they were settled in elegant but comfy chairs by the fire—alone—Pansy felt safe to finally be frank with Draco.

“I haven't _felt_ like your best friend for quite a long time, Draco.”

The hurt look that appeared on Draco's face was unavoidable, but Pansy was pleased to see he was taking her seriously.

“Now, please don't get angry with me or get defensive. I'm just telling you how I feel, okay?”

“Okay... you're worrying me, you realise.”

“I'm sorry. It's just... I miss you.”

“I see you all the time, Pansy.” Draco looked downright confused now.

“You see me at the weekends when we're out, yes. When you're out with Harry... and Harry's friends.”

Draco frowned. “What's your point? Aren't they our friends too? We've been hanging out with them for years, Pans.”

“I know, and I like them well enough, but... they're not my friends like _you_ are my friend.” She took a deep breath, wanting to make herself understood. “Since you starting dating Harry you've spent so much time with him and his friends. _Which_ —” she began, before Draco could interrupt and get defensive, “—is completely normal and understandable. But is seeing less of your own friends really part of the deal? When was the last time you hung out with Greg, Blaise or Theo?”

“They weren't exactly thrilled when I took up with a Gryffindor.”

“Neither was I, and I'm sure Harry's friends had similar reactions. We got over it, and so would they—if you'd given them the chance. Instead you stopped seeing them. They think you've become an honorary Gryffindor and have sworn off of being their friend.”

Draco cringed and Pansy really did hate putting him through this, but fuck it all if he wasn't turning into a bloody Gryffindor; he needed to hear this.

“I've come to really like Harry, Draco, you know I have, but you've shaped yourself around his life at the expense of too much of your own.”

“Greg, Blaise... they really think that about me?”

Pansy sighed. “It's said in jest, but the feelings behind it are real; they feel you've abandoned them for a bunch of Gryffindors.”

“I didn't, I just thought...”

“I know, I know,” Pansy hastened to reassure him. “Just... prove to them it isn't true. Come out with us—just us. You're not abandoning Harry if you go out without him a couple of nights a months. Hell, bring him along; make his friends believe he's becoming a Slytherin!”

At that, Draco smiled. “I guess I've missed you too, if you being so blunt with me is this hard to hear.”

“I'll be sure to point out more things you've bolloxed up in future.”

“Thanks?” Draco sort-of asked. “What you really are is jealous.”

Pansy was indignant. “The fuck?”

“You need a boyfriend. And not a cardboard cut out one like Conrad.” He motioned over his shoulder, presumably indicating the dining room. “Bloke's so two dimensional I'm even surprised Harry could talk to him, and he can chat with anyone.”

“Conrad!” That had been bugging Pansy. “ _That's_ his name!”

“Merlin help me, I need to find you a decent boyfriend.” Draco closed his eyes. “With an easy to remember name.”

Pansy smiled, glad to feel like she had her real friend back after so long.

When Draco opened his eyes he gazed out of the window. “So, what are they really doing out there?”

“Looking for treats amongst a host of scary things.” Pansy replied honestly.

Draco was obviously still a Slytherin, because he raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“I may have neglected to actually hide any treats out there, so all they are getting is tricks. I wonder how soon Granger will figure it out?”

“With the look of competitive determination she had when you told them about it? Not as soon as she should do.” Draco glanced around. “Come on, then, where are the real treats?”

Pansy snapped her fingers and a tray of sweets appeared on the small table between their chairs.

“Help yourself, Draco.”

She tried to keep her smile natural as Draco reached for his favourite exploding bonbons. Pansy imagined his emotions as his hands clasped around the hard powder-covered balls, for them to then gradually turn into soft and gooey eyeballs in his hand. They were halfway to Draco's mouth before he actually caught sight of the balls literally eyeing him. The way he yelled and jumped made the whole evening worthwhile for Pansy.

Draco threw them away instantly, only to see them turn back into innocent-looking exploding bonbons once they had left his hand and scattered across the carpet.

“What the fuck?” He turned to look at Pansy and his shock delighted her.

“Trick or treat, Draco!” she cried gleefully.

Over her cackle Pansy heard the door open and Harry popped his head in. “Did someone say treat? Because I give up on finding any out there. The scares are fun, but you've hidden the sweets too well, Pansy.”

“Hidden, yeah...” replied Pansy evasively.

Harry wasn't listening. “Ooh, gumdrop ghosts!” He made his way swiftly over to the tray.

Draco's eyes quickly snapped to Pansy, but she shook her head; the other sweets were safe, Draco was simply predictable in his tastes.

“I suppose I'd better go see how the other trick or treaters are fairing... badly, is my guess.”

As she left the room, Pansy overheard a snippet of conversation over her shoulder before the door closed behind her and cut it off.

“You okay?” Harry asked. Pansy assumed Draco must have nodded, because Harry continued. “It's nice to see you spending some real time with Pansy again. You should really do th...”

Yeah, Pansy had definitely come to really like Harry.


End file.
